Chargen Help

Your PC is not allowed to know any of your previous PCs. He is not
allowed, ever, to know how your PC died unless he finds out ingame
naturally, and is not allowed to do the same kinds of things your
previous one did. If you want a Swordsman, take care of the one
you've got: you will not be retreading! We do review all apps'
account histories. We will decline any that seem too much like
one of your previous PCs.

You are however allowed to know other players' PCs if they consent
to the previous IC relationship. For example: long-lost relatives, old
military buddies, Successian-Era collaborationists, etc. You must name
the other PC, and that other player must email/message us to tell us it's all
right for you to do this. You may not have an IC history with another
player without that other player's consent. However, please don't
retread by getting in with your previous gang of friends ingame with
the new PC and think you'll just take up where Bob left off with
Bob Junior. It'll annoy everybody of consequence.

Your character name can't look too much like your previous names,
nor can it look too much like your account name. We also don't allow
names to mimic staffers' names, but if you want to try to duplicate
something ingame, we'll take that on a case-by-case basis (normally
we'll warn you, and if you want to do it, usually that's fine as long
as you know there might be some cases of mistaken identity!).

You must declare complete details about your PC to staffers. That
means that if he has some big nasty secret parentage, you need to make
sure we know about it and are onboard with helping you with its
portrayal ingame. It also means that if you forget to include something
really important, we might not let you do it later! We have no issue at
all with just not consenting to a storyline we don't want, which would
unfortunately make your PC look pretty dumb as the claims collapse around
his ears. But we'll be happy, conversely, to help you with it as much
as possible if you'll just get permission first.

We also will Google your character's name, and if it turns out to
be a character from a video game or book, we'll probably decline it.
Please don't do that to yourself or us.

We also request that you make your concept a little open-ended,
especially if your character concept is a military one.
Getting into military service isn't actually all that easy, and you
may need a "day job" for a few IC (in-character) months to tide you
over before you get that coveted dream position. Many players regard
guard duty or soldiering as a "dump class" where they can go hack
at stuff as they learn the ropes of the game, and our military orgs
are more selective than that. Please read our documentation before
making that plunge.

Most new characters will be Sciallan,
which makes life easier since Sciallan names are very familiar to
English-speaking ears. Names like Thomas, Richard, and Aaron are
considered very retro and traditional, much like how we'd think
of names like Elijah or Ezekiel (though Old-Testament names like that
aren't in vogue at all and aren't popular). For women, names like
Marjorie, Talia, Yvette, and similar are perfectly fine.

The made-up "yooneek" names that pregnant teenagers think will
sound just wunnerful for their babies aren't actually very prevalent.
Braylee, Kaighden, Madison, and Mackenzie would be pretty out of place
on SciallaMud. Similarly, ethnic names like Siobhan and Iuewan would
seem strange to Sciallan ears. In the end though, this is just a
preference, and if you can't think of anything, try it; if we think
it's not too out of place, we'll let it in.

Names we won't allow include compound names (like WalksSoftly or
NewSoul) or names from modern video games or movies. We also won't
allow ethnic names from non-Continental countries or words that are
from non-Continental languages--and not even all the Romance-language
derived names work. We regret that if your name is
not suitable, you'll have to re-app all over again, so please
ask if you're not sure. We're very glad to tell you either way!

Once you get some RPPs under your
belt, here's a bit of info about the other races:
Lirwhinites always have at least
two names (such as Rus Niak, Nerismen Thulevale, and Sharyandro Emis).
They always use these names together--even Rus Niak's best friends
would call him "Rus Niak". The names very rarely make any sense, and
only occasionally will even direct family members share the same
surname. Due to the Lirwhinite custom of fostering, it can be very
hard to even tell who direct family even entails, since children
get swapped all the time. That said, Lirwhinite names are where you
get to "make stuff up" and be creative; as long as it feels and
sounds like what we've outlined above, chances are it'll fly.

Flameholdans go to the
other extreme, choosing staunchly traditional names for their
children. Greek and Roman-influenced names are particularly
prized. They always use clan names rather than a surname. As
you can see, their customs regarding names reflect who they
are as a culture: traditional, strong, and absolutely set.

Bilashans will almost
certainly not be most players' concerns, but their names tend to
be fairly normal-sounding, with an Eastern European tang.

Nobles of the
Empire follow the naming
conventions of their home planet, but with a twist: the higher
up the station of the Noble, the more "naming rituals" he will
undergo as his various titles are awarded and confirmed. Most
Nobles will only have a first and last name. Higher-up Nobles
will be "twice-named", meaning they will have a first, middle,
and last name. The Imperial Family is traditionally "thrice-named."
The additional names might be taken from other planets, so might
not be Sciallan in origin. Also, sometimes Nobles will trade
names, with two families agreeing to swap the names of two
of their children (the children are usually very close in age,
always infants or toddlers young enough not to realize their
names have changed a bit, and always of the same gender) as a
diplomatic way of communicating
peaceful intent and respect. Name exchanges happen when the
two children in question are infants. Commoners absolutely
don't do this; it'd be terribly presumptuous. The custom is
noted here only to explain why there might be a very odd
sounding name in a Noble family.

Last names for regular Sciallans are about what you'd expect.
Most are the names of occupations or a remark upon some ancestor's
physical attribute(s), such as "Clerk" or "Brown." Last names like
"BloodDrinker," of course, won't be allowed.

...No supernatural or unnatural eye or hair colors. No white or silver
hair on non-elderly commoners. Albinos are allowed within reason; if we already
have one or two floating around ingame, we'll probably decline another just
to keep albinism as rare as it's supposed to be. Hair dye is known but rare
outside of Priascialla and
Lirwhin.

...No "children raised by wolves" or "those assassins killed my family but
raised me for some weird reason" or "hermit in the woods dispensing
knowledge" apps. Absolutely no "brigands/orcs/wolves/Bilashans destroyed
my entire village" apps. Yes, there are some villages that have been
destroyed by fire or disease, but the Empire is lawful enough that unless
there was some serious provocation, no bad guys would be that kind of stupid.

...No amnesia apps. No multiple
personalities or "hears voices telling them to act out" either. Any and
all serious mental illnesses will need clearance from your GMs.

...No homicidal maniacs or other concepts doomed to short
life. If you have a history of repeated short-lived PCs, you will be
asked to start playing more constructively and possibly put on a
disciplinary path for improvement. SciallaMud is not the game for
that kind of play style, so if that's what you like doing, please
do everybody a favor and try something different here!

...Tattoos are fine; piercing is allowable depending on
concept. Most societies on Scialla do not pierce more than their ears.
"Tribal" tattoos are unknown and will not be allowed.
"Tramp stamps" are also unknown. Flameholdans
do tattoo, so please see their race writeup for more information.
Very Noble families also utilize tattoos,
too, so it's useful to learn about this custom.

...No special object requests beyond Walmart-level basic stuff (inexpensive
heirloom jewelry, for example) unless it is an RPP role. No RPP role
requests other than what's on the website. No skill swaps after the
first hour of your PC's life. Nobody can add psi to your PC so if you
didn't roll it, please don't ask.

If you are a zero-RPP Sciallan, you won't be from Valrona at all. You'll be from either another Eastern City, or you'll be from way out west among the frontier
towns, where power doesn't work and life can be pretty harsh. All new PCs will be,
in-character, new arrivals to the city, so you won't be expected to play as if you were an
old-timer. You'll be a newcomer, with expectations set accordingly. You also cannot be
from Priascialla if you're a 0-RPP character, for obvious
reasons. Priascialla is where people go when they die and they've been very, very good.

Bear in mind
that if you're from anywhere along the Eastern Seaboard, chances
are you'll be literate, unless there's a pressing reason not to be.
If you're from way out west, you might or might be, according to
your preference; if you are illiterate, just let a staffer know
and make sure it's in your background as to how you escaped the
technically mandated schooling. (For example, if your parents were
very hardworking farmers or miners working alone, they might have
pulled you out of school early or something.)

People tend to migrate somewhat among the cities, going wherever
they think they'll be able to make money. It's not unheard-of for
a normal person to move into Valrona hoping to find a good job.
Life in one city's pretty much like another, so preferences for
climate and general ambience figure in heavily. You could be in
Valrona for nothing more than liking the shopping better than in
your previous city.

Being from the far frontier might be somewhat trickier. There
isn't a lot of traveling between the frontier and the
Eastern Cities, and immigrants from that far outside the
Perimeter are seen very
much as yokels and bumpkins (which they are, really). Out
west, those same folk see themselves as hardworking, self-sufficient
pioneers and the Eastern Cities as decadent, corrupt dens of
iniquity (which they are, really). If you choose to RP such a
concept, be aware that your frontier immigrant will probably feel
like a fish out of water, and very likely he's going to see a lot
going on he neither understands nor approves of.

You also might choose to be from the capital city,
Priascialla. Being right
smack dab in the middle of the
Perimeter, power
works here, and most of the miracles of modern life can
be had: computing machines, energy weapons, spaceships,
groundcars, you name it and it's probably here somewhere.
Since it's expensive to live here, and because it's seen
as the zenith of human habitation on Scialla, it's a bit
like living in Aspen, Colorado or Manhattan, New York:
it's hard to imagine leaving such wonders, but hey, people
do all kinds of things that others don't understand sometimes.
Was your heart broken? Did you inherit some money and decide
to travel? Did you get accepted at the University? Maybe a
relative's promised you some opportunities? Something made
you chuck it all and head for the (relative) boonies.

Zero-RPP chars won't be from offplanet, but you'll run
into others who've chosen to run characters who are. Just
so you're able to interact with them ingame, here's some
info about why offworlders would choose Scialla:

Flameholdans almost never
travel alone, but sometimes you'll run into singletons who are
teaching at the University or who've been sent to seek specific
and certain information. Most of the Flameholdans you see will be
there with their clans, notably with contingents of the
Flameholdan Guard.

Lirwhinites often do travel
alone or with just one or two servants. They are an intensely
scientific race with intensely far-reaching vision. Lirwhinite
students often choose to study in Valrona. Non-students might also
visit for the long term to enjoy the benefits of the vast library
here, or to learn about other things of their own choosing--for
example, one might be here to study the ecology of the fauna of
the Wilds.

Valrona is the start city to the game: urbane, sophisticated,
known for its university and its opportunities. It's one of the major hubs of the Eastern Cities, with smaller villages all around feeding into
it. Its location along Iscine Bay is also ideal,
almost right in the middle of the arc of the coastline, giving it a commercial
appeal that can't be beaten.

The answer to this question, then, can be as varied as the characters. A
person from a wealthy family might go there for educational purposes or to
start a business. A poor person might go there because the streets are
paved with gold. A refugee might take shelter there, a jaded priest might
find solace and renewal in the chapterhouses there, a mercenary might
go there hoping the constant bickering along the borderlands will bring
him or her wealth beyond the dreams of Avarice.